System Upgrades

Greetings friends!

The year is wrapping up. Things are falling into place left and right, and the truth be told as I look back, I realize that this was one of the best years of ministry I've ever had. Some of the problems that had been dogging us since we arrived on the scene have died away. We're just rolling.

As such, it's really given me time to get some stuff together in my personal life. As I mentioned in my post last week, I've really gotten back into riding my bike, specifically to work and back. Not only am I starting to loose some much needed weight, I'm starting to feel better about life in general. I have an extra spring in my step that wasn't there before.

But I realized that it wasn't just the bike riding. Bike riding by itself is a wonderful program to get into. It's wonderful to add that to my life, but there's more to my life than the 1 minute commute back and forth from the church. I realized after I had been riding for a while how much longer I could go between fill ups on the jeep. I realized that in addition to getting in shape, I was taking a few steps towards living simply.

This is going to be critical in the months ahead for our family. Sarah is headed back to grad school, which means money isn't going to be as abundant as it once was. So in the last couple of weeks, I've tried to upgrade the system and think more simply. The other day when Melvin ate my wallet, I resorted to carrying my stack of membership cards and my lone ATM card in a rubber band. I probably saved 10 bucks, and to be honest I kind of like the new system. Rather than going out to buy new clothes at Old Navy or PacSun, I've resolved to shop at Goodwill for a while. (Which, if I'm honest, isn't much of an adjustment, because in Upper Saint Clair the Goodwills are stocked with clothes from Old Navy and PacSun...) What if I could separate myself from the life I used to live, and just live as simply as I can?

Now obviously there are some exceptions to all of this. I was pretty gung-ho to ride tomorrow, but the rain that is being predicted scared me right back inside. I still have the jeep, so I'm going to use it every now and again. But all the same, I'm going to try to upgrade my system into a more simple existence.

Won't you join me on the journey?

Grace and Peace,

J